CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- The Metro Richmond Zoo has established several ways the public can help the zoo recover from a fire that claimed the life of one animal and destroyed two buildings at the Chesterfield County landmark.
"Right now, we are assessing the damage and taking inventory of what was lost. The cleanup process is just beginning," zoo director Jim Andelin said in a Tuesday update on the Sunday night fire. "The damages to the buildings are significant. Both structures will have to be demolished and completely rebuilt. The two large buildings that burned down were the home base centers for our animal care, vet care, and maintenance operations. The areas where we stored most animal feed, prepared animal diets, conducted surgeries, kept maintenance equipment, and much more are now gone. The damages range from lost veterinary equipment like X-ray and anesthesia machines to destroyed maintenance tools like drills, saws, building materials, ladders, surplus tires, replacement parts, and more. Six golf carts were reduced to nothing more than metal frames. Our zookeeper breakroom was destroyed and staff lost personal belongings."
The zoo remains open as the investigation into the fire continues.
In the meantime, Andelin offered the following actions people can take to help the zoo at this time:
- Visit the Zoo: Come see us! The zoo and all exhibits are fully open.
- Wish List: We’ve created an Amazon wish list of items we need.
- Donate: You can visit our online store to donate directly to the zoo.
- Volunteer: Complete this form if you are willing to help clean up at the zoo. We will contact you as the need arises. While the investigation is still going on, the amount of cleanup we can do right now is limited.
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